Treatment of Mood and Depressive Disorders With Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Efficacy Review.
Jasmine B R Cutler, Olivia Pane, Simran K Panesar, Wendy Updike, Thea R Moore
Journal of midwifery & women's health January 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1111/jmwh.13527 via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractSince 2011, depression rates have steadily risen, and the COVID-19 pandemic further increased stress and unmet mental health needs. Many people have turned to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies—bright-light therapy, yoga, meditation, and supplements such as St. John's wort or folic acid. However, the reliability of evidence for these therapies remains low, with few randomized controlled trials and poor methodology in many available trials. This state-of-the-science review examines current published guidelines, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and RCTs on CAM therapies for depression.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Review Randomized Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Interventions | bright-light therapy yoga meditation St. John's wort folic acid |
| Topics | Depression |
| Keywords | Dhea S-adenosylmethionine St. john's wort Acupuncture |
| Citations | 30 |
| Key finding | The reliability of evidence for CAM therapies for depression remains low, with few randomized controlled trials and poor methodology in many available trials. |
Abstract
There has been a steady increase in people with symptoms of depression over the past several years (since 2011). The further increase in stress and depression in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic was accompanied by an increase in unmet mental health needs. Many have turned to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies such as bright-light therapy, yoga, meditation, and dietary supplements like St. John's wort or folic acid. The reliability of evidence for use of CAM therapies for depression has remained low. There are few randomized controlled trials (RCTs) in the current literature and poor methodology in many of the trials that are available. This state of the science review examines current published guidelines, meta-analyses, systematic reviews, and RCTs regarding use of CAM therapies in the management of depression.